Apple Crisp

Image of a UK food queue line, courtesy of the Imperial War Museums

Old-fashioned apple crisp, also known as apple crumble in the United Kingdom, is a fall time comfort dessert. It became very popular during food rationing caused by World War II.

Some notes before beginning:

• This version of Apple Crisp comes from Land O'Lakes, which is a member owned agricultural cooperative.
• When selecting a variety of apple to use, the most commonly chosen is Granny Smith. Other ideas include Honeycrisp and Braeburn. You can mix and match to create new flavor profiles.
• If you want to cut the time of peeling and cooring apples, invest in an apple peeler-corer-slicer tool.
• Not familiar with how to cut in butter? Learn more about the technique before starting this recipe.
• Land O'Lakes bought Purina Mills in 2001. For an interesting read about the early history of that company, check out the recipe for Chex Mix and read about Ralstonism.

Apple Crumble skyrocketed in popularity in England during World War II because of supply rationing and ingredient shortages. During this time, staples like sugar, butter, and flour were either subject to rationing by The Ministry of Food or in short supply due to the ongoing war with the Axis Powers. Rationing was achieved either through a coupon book (see below) or a points system.

The Apple Crisp (or crumble) recipe below uses considerably less sugar, flour, and butter than a traditional apple pie recipe but has a similar flavor profile. For example, 2 pie crusts use around 12-16 tablespoons of butter, which would be needed to bake a traditional apple pie. The pie filling may use an additional 2-6 tablespoons of butter. This recipe only uses a half cup (8 tablespoons) of butter. In 1942, butter was rationed at 4oz, or 8 tablespoons, per person, per week.

Image courtesy of the Imperial War Museums

Ingredients

• 6 medium apples
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnammon
• 1/2 cup cold butter

Equipment

• Oven safe dish 8 inch by 8 inch
• Pastry cutter or pastry blender

Mise en Place

• Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C)
• Peel, core, and slice apples. 6 medium apples should result in about 6 cups.

La Cuisson

1. Place apples into the oven safe dish
2. Combine brown sugar, oats, flour, and cinnamon in a bowl.
3. Cut in cold butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbles.
4. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the sliced apples.
5. Bake for 25-35 minutes until apples are tender and the crumble topping is golden brown.

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